Ranma 1/2 Fan Fiction / Sailor Moon Fan Fiction ❯ Ranma and the Outers ❯ Goddesses, Gods and Demons, Oh My! ( Chapter 15 )

and the Outers. After reading “All My Outers” by PsyckoSama, I got this idea. While his was a good idea, I had to change it slightly and then wondered where it would go. Hopefully, it will turn out pretty good. This is Rated “R” for language and adult situations. This will have lime-ish content, but will not be a lemon as I will not be describing or detailing those things.

Note: When it comes to Greek mythology, it all depends on what source you use for the relations between the gods. From one source, Aphrodite or Venus was Zeus’ daughter. In another, she came about after the castration of Uranus by Saturn, seriously. For my story, since I have already hinted at Uranus’ castration I will be using that line for this next part.

+++++++++++++++
Chapter 10: Goddesses, Gods and Demons, Oh My!

Cologne eyed the transformed male with disdain. ‘To think, they believe being a female is a curse!’ she thought with annoyance before sighing mentally, ‘these Japanese are strange.’

“Hotcha! What a babe!” A familiar voice shouted and suddenly the boy previously known as Tatewaki Kuno had wide eyes as a diminutive perverted gnome was suddenly attached to his now female chest. “Where’ve you been hiding?”

In the space of a few minutes, Kuno has become a she… as well as being told that it can only be reversed -after- she gives birth to her first child... and now that she was being groped it was easy to understand why Kuno found herself screaming in feminine outrage, “AHHH-EEEEEEE!!!!!!!”

Cologne spared one look at this and then sighed. Akane and many of the other girls decided to vacate the area, quickly. This left Nabiki, Cologne and the new Ayamenten Kuno to deal with Happosai.

“Happi …”

Happosai let got of the girl and hopped over to Cologne with a smirk on his face knowing that whomever he groped would be unable to do anything to him. “Can’t you see I’m busy?”

“Do you now who that was?”

“Was?” He asked and blinked at her.

“You just grabbed that stupid Kuno boy.”

“Ha!” he barked. “Now that is a real woman! There’s no way that …” he blinked as he noticed her calm expression. “What?”

“Did you feel that surge of power just a little while ago?”

Pulling out his pipe, he took a few puffs and thought about it. “Yes, I wasn’t sure what that was, but when I saw the Hibiki boy flying over the school I had thought it was Akane finally finding out the truth.”

“While the child did send him flying, the power you felt was a goddess cursing that boy … to be a girl.”

He blinked ad then blinked again and then turned to the shivering and blubbering girl not far from him. “Eh … say that again?”

“Oh for the love of …” Nabiki said and then stepped in. “That ass Kuno somehow sent Ranma away, and the goddess said that because of Kuno, Ranma will never return to this world …”

“WHAT!” The old man yelled.

“It’s true,” Cologne added.

“No … no more Ranma … no more Ranma-chan …”

“And it’s all Kuno’s fault,” Nabiki said angrily. ‘I will get even with you Kuno; somehow I will make you pay for doing this to my family.’

turned towards the blubbering kendoist girl. “You … you got rid of my Ranma-chan!”

However, by now Ayamenten was not hearing anything, only lamenting about how unkind the fates were. But she did notice when Happosai began to throw exploding bombs at her. “AHHHHHHHH!!”

“Get back here!” Happosai screamed in outrage at the one that had chased off Ranma-chan.

“That … was possibly the most evil thing I have ever seen.”

“Thank you elder,” Nabiki replied evenly.

In another prefecture, a being approached the home of the outer scouts. He had been known as the Ruler of the Underworld, the Ruler of the Dead, as well as various other names. However, he has never been called truly evil. But everyone expected it of him.

Arriving at the door of Setsuna Meiou, he knocked and waited. The door was answered by a young girl with dark hair. “Greeting young one, I am looking for Setsuna Meiou.”

Of course, Hotaru was not sure what to make of this man. “And you are?”

“Hades, lord of the Underworld … or at least I used to be …”

“Um … but … aren’t you evil?”

“Only as evil as I need to be.”

“I see ... I …”

“May I talk to Setsuna, my Avatar? It seems that she’s been playing with the time gates a bit too much and Kami-sama sent me to clear up a little mess.”

“Um … I …” Normally Hotaru was able to take shocks to her system. Being around the Inners, her adoptive parents as well as fighting monsters and other various evil things prepared her for such. But this was a new situation. “Sure…” she finally said a little confused about everything.

“Thank you,” he said with a bow, entered the house and walked directly up to the drinking Senshi. “Well … this is not how I expected to find you.”

“Oh go away …” Setsuna mumbled. Several minutes ago, she had forgone the glass and was now drinking directly from the bottle. “This… is so messed up, why couldn’t I see it happening, why did the kami get involved and for kami’s sake why did they join ‘HIM’ to ‘THEM’ like that?”

“How else would we have ensured that he lived as long as them?”

Setsuna looked up at the man before her and grumbled, “What?”

“It’s quite simple, Aphrodite’s potions are very strong, and had Ranma died after only thirty or forty years, then both Ten’ou and Kaioh would feel like a part of themselves had died.”

“What?” asked a wide-eyed Hotaru.

“Its like this, the potion that Ranma took from that Kuno boy is one of Aphrodite’s strongest potions. It in effect bonds the souls of whoever is doused with it. So if one soul dies…” he left the rest handing as the little girl’s eyes became even wider.

“Then … then … Michiru-mama and Haruka-papa would want to die as well …”

“Correct, so we had to do something, because those two were going to live for quite some time.”

“Oh great …” Setsuna said as she rubbed her forehead.

Hades just grinned. “Yes, but there seems to be a problem.”

“What problem?” Hotaru asked worriedly.

“If you’re so all knowing, what’s the problem,” the elder Senshi asked irritated.

“Oh it’s simple, or at least sounds simple. You changed the past, which changed the future; however you could not completely change the effects.”

Setsuna just glared at him, while her adoptive daughter asked, “Um, what?”

“You should know Miss Meiou that gods transcend time. And a gods or goddess’ in this case, potion has such an effect as well.”

Surging to her feet, the elder Senshi was suddenly fully sober. “What the hell are you talking about?”

He gave her a sympathetic smile. “It’s simple; those two were not the only ones at that picnic that day. And instead of letting it go, you made changes. One change, we condone. But there was a second change that has caused other problems.”

“What kind of problems?” she asked him, though she kept repeating to herself that she did the right thing. ‘If he thinks I am just going to…’ her mental rant was cut off as he began to speak again.

“The problem is you, you see, you remember his past, don’t you.”

“So what, I watched everything that happened to him.”

“Are you sure?”

Poking him in the chest, the irate Senshi almost yelled in his face, “What are you getting at?”

However, Hotaru figured it out first. “Setsuna-mama … you … you were there too …”

The normal stoic Senshi of Time flinched at that, but Hades answered her, “Yes, she was, but she changed the past so that she was not there. However a part of her is still connected to him … yearning for him.”

slapped him on the cheek. “I do NOT!”

“Oh really, then why were you drinking?” he asked as he rubbed his cheek.

“Because …. Just because!”

“You are outside of the normal flow of time Setsuna. You went back in time, and removed yourself from the Picnic, but you still remember the effects, you still feel the effects, even if they do not.”

Hotaru watched as Setsuna growled at this man. “I admit it, I made a change; there should be no lasting effects, at all. I was NOT there!”

“Really, then haven’t you just created a paradox?” Setsuna stopped short at that. “You knew what was going to happen, as it happened to you. Yet you went back in time and removed yourself from it and yet you still feel the effects because of the paradox you created.”

“Then what do YOU suggest I do? Go back in time and set things back to the way they were? I won’t do that to them!”

“Why not?” Though Setsuna expected that question from him, she did not expect it from Hotaru.

“Look, its bad enough that he has two brides, but three … four … before the first day was up there was complaining as well as competition for his time.” As Setsuna spoke, Hotaru mouthed the word ‘Four.’ “The three of them are just happy the way things are, there’s no need to change things,” she continued. “They are happy; they are in love and …”

“And you are miserable.” finished Hades.

For an answer, she just grumbled and looked ready to kill him when she suddenly stopped. “Who the hell are you anyway to come in here and to tell me how to live my life?”

“That is easy, you see I am Hades, former Lord of the Underworld, and patron God of Pluto, and you Setsuna Meiou are my avatar, and a very lonely and depressed one at that.”

“Uh … I …”

“You feel it, don’t you…”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about!” she lied bad enough that even her adoptive daughter was not convinced.

“You still remember when your soul was connected to his… you could feel the way he cared for you… and yet you have pushed him away.” Setsuna remained cold and still as he spoke, but inside she was starting to break down. “Did you know that even someone like me is married?”

This threw both scouts off balance. “What?”

“A long time ago, I fell in love with someone, who was so beautiful I never thought she’d give someone like me a second glance. I even kidnapped her and tricked her into spending time with me.”

Setsuna looked at him with a blank expression as she tried to figure out what he was leading to while Hotaru just blurted out, “That… that’s mean! Why did you do that?”

“As Setsuna says, ‘Just because,’ and because I wanted to be with her,” He replied with a steady gaze set on Setsuna. “But something amazing happened; we fell in love. And we were married. And right now you are keeping me from her,” he told the calm looking Senshi of Pluto.

“Then go back to her,” she told him coldly.

“I will, but since you are my Avatar, I am stuck listening to you bemoan how bad things are and how lonely you are.” He kept his eyes locked on her. “Because of the paradox you created, things will only get worse in the future for yourself. You will feel the connection more strongly the more time you spend around him, which could be thousands of years. It could grow to the point that you may even try to lure him away from them to satisfy that longing in your soul.”

“The gates don’t show that!”

“Oh, have you looked that long into the future … have you seen how you cannot sleep at night? Or how you act when around him? Face it, he is a part of your soul, and you are going to not only tear yourself up, but the three of them as well as you ignore your own feelings and continue to act like miss martyr and sacrifice your feelings for the “good” of…”

A slap across the face silenced him, but the Senshi of Time did not speak a word. She was angry, very angry with him for bringing this up and acting this way.

“I see … so this is how you want to be.” He took a deep breath and then began speaking in a voice that seemed to echo throughout the room. “Setsuna Meiou, your actions are destroying not only yourself, but in time the lives of several others, who themselves are Avatars of the Gods. Yet you are too stubborn and stiff-necked to admit your feelings, so as your punishment, the gates will be sealed from you until such time as we see fit.”

Her eyes went wide at that and she tried to say something, anything… but she found that her body and voice would not obey her commands.

“S-sir…” Hotaru asked respectfully.

“Yes child?”

Though she had a million questions going though her head, the one that made it to her voice was, “Who’s we?”

“Why the gods of course,” Said a new voice from the doorway.

When the three turned to see the man that had come in, Hades smiled. “It’s good to see you again Chronus, or should I call you Saturn now?”

Quite some distance from the Meiou home, someone else was arriving at their home, or rather a home away from home.

Cologne sighed as she returned to the Cat Café. She wasn’t sure how she was going to break this to Shampoo. ‘I should have got rid of that stupid boy when I had the chance,’ she thought bitterly. ‘Now Ranma’s gone, Shampoo will loose her honor, and the only chance she would have to reclaim her honor would be to take that stupid duck for a mate!’

With her thoughts distracted, Cologne did not notice the presence that walked into the Cat Café just a few feet behind her.

“Welcome Cat Café… oh great grandmother what’s wrong?” Shampoo asked quickly forgetting to address the other newcomer.

“Shampoo… things have changed. Ranma is gone.”

“Gone? Where he go? Shampoo find airen!”

“I think you will have other worries child,” said a female’s voice from behind Cologne.

Quickly the aged matriarch turned around and cursed her luck. ‘Another kami…’ she thought bitterly then put on a quick smile. “How may we help you?”

“What you mean Child! Shampoo proud Amazon Warrior!”

‘Please tell me she didn’t just do that…’ Cologne thought sadly.

The woman looked at the two of them and shook her head. “For now I will let that slide as you do not know who you are addressing. But you may help me; I came in search of someone.”

That caused Cologne to blink. “In search of someone? Who?”

However, Shampoo let out a growl and brandished her large bonbori. “You no talk Shampoo like Shampoo little girl!”

The woman just raised an eye at the girl, but Cologne was not going to take any chances. In a flash, she had not only disarmed her great-granddaughter, but she had effectively immobilized her as well. “I’ll deal with you later,” Cologne warned causing the young Amazon to worry, as she could not move her body.

“Interesting.” The woman said and looked at the statue that Shampoo had become. “I shall have to remember that, but I was always more fond of killing those that spoke against me. But to turn them into a statue, and such a life like one to boot!”

Colognes skin crawled as she listened to the woman so she quickly changed the subject. “So, what may I help you with? I believe you said you were looking for someone?”

“Oh yes … Lets see, I know, I will let you know of his importance, and then you can help me find him.”

“As you wish.”

“I do, lets see, his story begins several years ago. Hera, the wife of Zeus, and Aphrodite were engaged in a bit of drinking as well as story telling when a bet was made.”

“Um … excuse me, but did you say drinking?”

The woman looked at Cologne’s confused face and grinned. “Yes, you see after the restructuring many of the gods, or kami as you call them had a lot of free time on their hands. And this happened to be one of those times.”

“Oh … I see …”

“Anyway, a bet was made and then acted on. Unfortunately for them the act produced more than a hangover.”

“A hangover …”

“Yes, you see, a child was produced, with Aphrodite being his mother.”

“Please tell me this was not Ranma …” Cologne really hoped that Ranma was not this child, even though it would explain how he got so strong.

“No, this was not Ranma. However, Hera was very displeased when the child was born and so she cursed him.”

“She … cursed … him?”

“Yes, ah, I remember it, ‘You are a blight to my eyes so shall your eyes be cursed. You shall not only have poor vision that cannot be corrected, but you shall not see anything properly as well.’ You see, the second part of the curse affected his ability to perceive things around him.”

“Ah … ok.” Cologne’s mind was trying to think of anyone to fit this description. However, all she had to go on was a powerful blind male.

“Aphrodite was heartbroken when her child was cursed and his powers locked away. She pleaded with Kami-sama and that is where I was called in.”

“How so?”

“I was given care of the child and asked to send him to the mortal plane. But as you can expect, Aphrodite was distraught that her child was effectively blinded and unable to take care of himself. So I promised her that I would give her son to my people. A proud, strong people that would take care of him and see that he is brought up and trained in how to protect himself.”

“Your people?” Cologne was not liking where this seemed to be heading.

“Yes, you see I am Artemis, Goddess of the hunt, and my People were the Amazons of old. It was from me that the Amazons came to be, and it is by my protection that they remain protected from the Chinese and the other factions in your little valley.”

Colognes eyes went wide and she immediately dropped to bow before the goddess. “Forgive me, I did not recognize you!”

Artemis just laughed. “I know, I have chosen over the years to forgo the dress, and have opted to wear jeans. They are much more comfortable and practical as well.” Had Cologne not had her face already on the floor, she would have fallen off her staff. “Anyway …” the goddess said getting back on track. “When I brought the child to the mortal realm, I handed him to a young mother that had recently lost her own son and asked her to take care of this one. She thanked me profusely but I warned her that he was special and would need special attention and …”

“Mousse!?” Cologne almost shouted. She remembered his mother coming back into the village with an outrageous story that no one believed. But now it seems that it was all true.

“Yes, you see, Mousse’s eyes were cursed at birth, but it is time for his curse to be lifted. So I happen to look in on his life … and what do I find …”

‘Oh …’ Cologne began mentally thinking up every swear word she could think of.

“I find that the child of a goddess has been laughed at, ridiculed, and made the village idiot! I gave MY word that MY people would take care of this boy and not only have MY people turned him into a joke, but they have abused and deformed MY laws of Amazon society!”

For several long moments, not a word was said as the goddess tried to get her breathing under control, and Cologne continued to curse her luck as things were just going from bad … to much worse.

“Is that what really happened?” Said a male voice from the back doorway.

The goddess turned to see Mousse standing there and she smiled at him. “Yes it is, come forward Mousse, son of Aphrodite, come forward and be rid of the curse placed on your eyes.”

Mousse looked briefly at Shampoo before taking several steps towards the woman. He had heard quite a lot, and in a way, it scared him. All his life he had been told certain things by his mother, and now it seemed like that were true and not just a dream she’s come up with. As he walked towards her, his vision cleared and he felt like a fog had been lifted from his mind. All the things that had happened to him and around him now made much more sense. However, as he recalled all the things he did, he felt foolish.

“Mousse, I would like you to say goodbye and leave this place. In time, you will be restored to your full power. For now, there is someone I would like you to help.”

nodded to her, “Ok I will, um … do you know where Ranma is, I … I believe I owe him an apology.”

Artemis smiled at him. “I believe a meeting with him can be arranged, after all, you are the son of a goddess and soon to be a god yourself.”

Mousse could not help but to blink at that, but he nodded anyway. Turning towards Shampoo and Cologne he could not help but grin. “I hope to never see you again you dried up old monkey,” he told Cologne and smiled as she just gripped her staff harder but made no attempt to move out of the bowed position she was in. his eyes towards Shampoo, he felt a pain in his heart, yet he knew one thing for certain. Walking towards the still girl, he caressed her face gently before telling her, “Goodbye. I am sorry for all the trouble I caused you. I’m not sure I can help you, but if I have the power, I will ask that you are not punished with the rest of them.”

“Oh please tell me you didn’t just say that,” Artemis said with a sigh.

“I did, and I mean it. I’m sorry, but for the problems I have caused, I at least owe her that.”

“Fine … just … go.” She pointed towards the door that opened at her will.

“Ok,” he said and then quickly left the Cat Café.

he was outside and the door closed, the goddess cursed in a language that even Cologne did not understand. Then turning her eyes to the two Amazons, she let out a tired sigh. “You’re lucky Shampoo. Because of your treatment of her son … Aphrodite was looking forward to punishing you personally.”

Even though Shampoo’s arms and legs had been frozen in place, as was her jaw, she still gulped loudly at that.

“Now as for you …” Artemis said as she turned her attention towards Cologne.

A young and very angry and depressed male sat in the middle of a forest. And while he was naked, he did not care. His world had ended, everything he had hoped for, has been crushed. His anger reached a peak and he shouted out, “Damn Saotome … I know he’s behind this,” he wished he could find his hated rival and kill him. “If it wasn’t for him then I’d never have my curse and Akane wouldn’t be mad at me and … and …” Then just as quickly, his anger turned into depression as he recalled Akane’s words. “She … she hates me …”

“Now this is pitiful,” A male voice said, but Ryoga did not even acknowledge the voice. “So I see; you’re just going to give up, and let them say those things about you?”

“What’s the use?”

“Pitiful, and weak … and here I was ready to help you out, but you’ve already given up and lost.”

“Of course I’ve lost! I‘ve lost it all! Akane hates me!”

“Please, she’s just excitable. I bet right now she’s mad at herself for saying that.”

A ray of hope blossomed in Ryoga. “You, you think so?”

“Of course! I’d bet my reputation on it.” The man said with a smile as Ryoga looked up at him. “Come on kid, we have to get you cleaned up, as well as make you stronger. Only then will you have the power to kill your enemy.”

Ryoga smiled and stood up quickly. “Are you sure, I’ve tried everything but Ranma always stays one step ahead of me,” admitting that left a bitter taste in Ryoga’s mouth.

“Then you are ready for some true power, not some fancy martial arts, but power.”

“Power?”

“Yes power. Men and women all over the world are looking for it, the more they get, the stronger they become. You’ve been limiting your power to only these weak martial arts.”

“Weak?” Ryoga shouted in outrage.

“Yes weak, if you had power then Ranma would be crushed and Akane would be yours.”

“Akane …”

“Now quit stalling, are you ready for power, power to crush your enemies? You will be able to crush Ranma like a worm! And those Sailor brats that called you all those names and made Akane so mad at you … you can get back at them too.”

Ryoga smiled at that. “I can make them take that back … they won’t call me those things again?”

“With the power you will get, you will be able to bring them to their knees. Why stop with just getting Akane back. Get them as well as you pay Ranma back for every little thing he has ever done to you.”

A fire came to life in Ryoga’s eyes. “Yeah, I can do it! What do I have to do?”

“Just take my hand and the power will be yours …” The man said and trailed off, though Ryoga did not listen. Instead, the lost boy quickly grabbed the man’s hand in a fierce handshake before a searing pain shot though his body. “Thank you Ryoga, your soul will be a great addition to my collection.” As he spoke black fire and billowing smoke appeared around the two of them causing Ryoga to scream in pain, though the man just laughed. “Next time boy, never make a deal with a devil without asking what the cost is!” Laugher filled the area around them that drowned out Ryoga’s screams of pain and then the two of them were gone. Only a blackened patch of dirt remained to mark where they had stood.

To be Continued…